WASHINGTON – The Trump administration on Friday gave “national interestwaiver” to four countries, including Pakistan, which were designated as”countries of particular concern” for having engaged in or tolerated severeviolations of religious freedom.
The four countries – Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan -along with Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea and Sudan were lastmonth named as “countries of particular concern” (CPC) by Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo for their gross violation of religious freedom.
Such a designation under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998,would have automatically attracted sanctions and other punitive measuresfrom the United States.
Prominent among these include designations or sanctions against individualsand organisations responsible for suppression of freedom in these countries.
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However, these sanctions and designations can be done away with a waiver asrequired in the “important national interest of the United States” as persection 407 of International Religious Freedom Act.
In a federal notification, Pompeo gave national interest waiver to the fourcountries.
